Monday, 19 April 2010

Anne Lass and A German Post Apocalypse

Considering the recent triumphs of German cinema (Downfall, The Counterfeiters, The Lives of Others etc), the fact the Berlin is still apparently one of the trendiest places around, Tarantino shot his last movie in Germany and these photos are really cool...maybe such a film should happen...?

But long before this happens, and long before lots of other stuff happened, German cinema was one of the most influential and creative industries in the world. The 1920s was the time of German Expressionism...without this you wouldn't have the Sci - Fi of today and the ideas behind it, (Metropolis, Fritz Lang, 1927). Alfred Hitchcock would never have learned his trade and become one the most influential directors of all time. Film Noir may not have been so noir-ish, horror films wouldn't be as scary and directors like Tim Burton and David Lynch would probably have found it difficult to imagine the dark, weird and twisted worlds they create in their movies without German Expressionism.

To describe what German Expressionism is in words takes a while and besides many fine books have been written on the subject, however, the beauty of German Expressionism is that it is a truly visual medium....luckily you can see a sample of it for yourself this week at the Duke of York's.

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (Robert Weine, 1920) is a benchmark in German Expressionism and cinema all round. It's about a circus and a sleepwalker and much more.

It's playing at the Duke's this Wed night and to make it even more special, the movie is being re-scored LIVE IN HOUSE by the band Minima. myspace.com/minimaband